


A promise

by TearyEyez



Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Dark, M/M, Past Sexual Abuse, Past physical abuse, Plot Twist, Slavery, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, mentions of torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-03-08 20:44:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13466196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TearyEyez/pseuds/TearyEyez
Summary: What must one pay for the price of peace?After the war ended, Inaho thought he could work in an obscure branch of the military and try to build a normal, peaceful life for himself. However, everything changed the day he stepped foot into the slave auction and the memory of that person reemerged from the depths of his mind. Love, hate, revenge, and truth reveal themselves as Inaho is forced to explore questions about himself he didn't know existed.The clock is ticking and it may already be too late to solve the one person he could never understand.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> To give all readers a fair warning about this story:
> 
> This will likely not be the nicest, happiest story out there. This will deal with some darker themes that may be disturbing to some people, and I'll add tags and warnings as necessary. But hey, if this is your siren's calling then you have come to the right place!
> 
> I have the entire storyline planned out, but I am very inconsistent about updating, so be forewarned of that (also this is unbetad, so if you see any errors let me know!). If you are still with me after all of that, then sit down, buckle up, and let's get started!

Inaho steps foot into the building where the auction is being held. Immediately the rank smells of sweat and something else he can’t identify assaults his nose, although he doesn’t allow any expression to show on his face.

After the UFE had won the war, all Martians who did not pledge their loyalty to the UFE or Empress Asseylum were sold into slavery. The war had devastated most of Earth’s inhabitable cities and, now that there was precarious peace established between Earth and Mars, Martians placed an increased demand on Earth for resources since they couldn’t produce them themselves.

After the war ended almost four years ago Inaho got a job working in the defense branch of the army. Really it was on his sister’s insistence that he gets a job doing something easy as to not overexert his brain, and he had to agree. The job is really only good for passing the time and paying the bills; nothing he does would he consider remotely interesting.

However today he has to monitor this auction because his coworker normally responsible for it is sick. Not that he really cares. These auctions are mostly for slaves who are hurt, disobedient, or otherwise unsatisfactory. If you wanted a good salve your chance had long passed.

His boots crunch the gravel beneath his feet. Inaho has never been particularly interested in these auctions and he views them as another way the UFE is bypassing Asseylum’s power and wish for peace.

At the beginning, slave labor logically made sense because of Earth’s destroyed state. They needed a workforce that could help rebuild Earth’s agriculture and infrastructure, and the UFE could do that while punishing rebellious Martians. It’s like killing two birds with one stone. However Inaho cannot see this being a viable way to establish lasting peace between the two nations.

Inaho strides past cages with people inside. He long ago stopped feeling sorry for these people; if they wanted to save themselves they should have pledged their loyalty. Around each of their necks is a shiny metal collar, which is powered by aldnoah.

The collars turn the Martian idea of aldnoah on its head. The Martian society had been dominated by a primitive hierarchal structure where those who had the power of aldnoah controlled society. However the collars, although powered by aldnoah, are usable by everyone except a select few. This makes it so anyone can control a slave but the slave will have no control over their collar. These collars are the UFE’s prized accomplishment; they spent many months developing them while Martians either sat in prisons or defied Asseylum and the UFE. Without the collars Inaho doubts the UFE would continue to be in power.

The said collars keep the slaves tamed, meaning unable to rebel or be violent. They also allow the owner to set whatever rules they want and if the slave doesn’t follow them the collar doles out punishment. Though some owners add their own, rather excessive, punishments on top of the collar’s.

Although the auction is yet to start the room is already buzzing with noise. Inaho really does not understand what some people see in these auctions. Now that there are no more Martians who dare defy the UFE, there are no new slaves. This causes the same weakened, injured, or disobedient slaves to end up getting sold at auction after auction, each new owner hoping to at least make some money off the slave.

A loud buzzing noise signals the start of the auction and the room instantly grows quieter as five slaves and their owners enter onstage. Inaho’s eye flits over each slave. They are all dressed in the common grey sweats and black tee shirt and appear to be in varying stages of starvation.

He allows his mind to wander as the auctioneer begins with the names and prices for the first one. Hopefully this will be over soon so he can return home.

As the third batch of slaves is led onstage some commotion drags Inaho back to the present.

The fourth slave is practically being dragged onstage yelling, “Get your filthy hands off– Ahggh!!” The slave suddenly falls to the ground and begins flailing and screaming, hopelessly struggling against his hand restraints, probably trying to scratch at the collar around his neck.

“Get up you filthy scum!” his owner demands, kicking the slave’s side as he continues to thrash on the ground. “Or shall we skip the auction all together?”

Inaho can see the slave immediately tense up. After a few anxious moments the slave gets shakily to his knees however makes no move towards the stage. He is breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his face in determination. Suddenly the owner grabs his hair and drags the slave to his spot on the stage where he forces him to kneel instead of stand like all the other slaves.

Inaho feels a tickling of recognition in the back of his mind. He’s not sure what, but something about the fourth slave reminds him of someone he has met before. No matter how hard he thinks he can’t remember who it is. He supposes it doesn’t help that he is standing in the back of the room and only has one eye.

Once the fifth slave has joined the stage the auctioneer proceeds like nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred. For all Inaho knows maybe this sight is more common than he thought.

His interest now heightened, Inaho watches the auction proceed. He wonders if he fought against that slave in the war. That would explain why he recognizes him but can’t remember exactly from where. He notes how he still cannot make out any distinguishing features of the slave. It’s at times like this that he wishes he still had the analytical engine.

Luckily the auctioneer starts with the names of each.

“Endo Inoue” he gestures to the first slave, then continues walking down the line. “Naomi Maeda… Anton Hendrickson…” as he gets near the fourth slave he suddenly stops. For a moment he pauses, looking confusedly at the list he has gripped in his hands.

It seems as if time stands still in the room as the owner leans closer to the auctioneer and whispers something in his ear. It seems as if the rest of the people in the room are as intrigued by the fourth slave as Inaho is, especially since the auctioneer stopped before reading his name. The auctioneer’s eyes become as wide as saucers and he turns back to the crowd excitedly.

“Ladies and gentlemen do we ever have a special treat for you today! This is none other than…” he allows a slight pause, obviously enjoying how the audience is hanging onto his every word. Inaho would be lying if he were to say he was not. “Slaine Troyard!”

There is a second of silence before the room erupts in commotion. Some people hurl insults at him, some converse with their business partners, and others stand perfectly still, as if they can not believe it is the great and powerful tyrant brought to his knees right in front of them.

The moment that name leaves the auctioneer’s lips time freezes for Inaho. Slaine… his mind is whizzing with questions. _Why is he here? I thought he was imprisoned for life. How did he get out? Is this some kind of deal between him and the warden? Why was I not informed? What happened to him? How…_

His thoughts are interrupted when the auctioneer speaks again. “The owner of this slave has also just informed me that there are some special… matters pertaining to this slave that must be taken into consideration–”

Before he can finish talking the microphone is snatched from his hands by Slaine’s owner. Beaming boldly at the crowd, he announces, “Slaine Troyard, the name every person here and on Mars detests, I myself included.” The room once again grows quiet. “I bought this slave” he spits out the word “just a few months ago hoping I would be able to teach him a lesson or two. However this bastard is the most unruly, disobedient, and lazy slave I have ever had. For him, no punishment seems to be enough to get through that thick skull of his… so I thought of a better idea.”

There are a few hushed murmurs around the room, and the man begins to pace along the front of the stage. “If no one here buys this animal, then tomorrow at nine in the morning the abhorred Slaine Troyard will be wiped from this earth in a public execution!”

Inaho is stunned. There are so many questions whirling around in his head that he feels overwhelmed. Last he heard Slaine was still in jail, though admittedly the last report he got was over a year and a half ago.

Inaho notices that even though Slaine has practically been issued his death sentence he is still holding his head high and glaring out into the crowd as if daring them to defy his owner.

_Is this even the real Slaine?_  Inaho finds himself questioning. _It could all be a plot set up by the owner…_  however no matter how hard Inaho thinks he is unable to come up with a viable reason as to why the owner would want to fake Slaine’s death.

Inaho snaps his attention back to the stage as the man continues. “The opening bid will begin at $1,500 dollars, and under no circumstances will I accept anything lower.” There is a gleam in his eyes that Inaho can only describe as cunning. 1,500 is an outrageous opening bid (the other slaves’ opening bids were around 100-300 dollars, depending) and Inaho guesses that the high price is to deter potential buyers from buying Slaine.

Despite this Inaho finds himself raising his hand. He is not surprised when no others challenge him.

There is a look of bewilderment on the owner’s face as his steely eyes land on Inaho’s. There is a sudden shift in the atmosphere when their eyes meet, and the entire room grows quiet as all eyes turn to Inaho.

Inaho stands his ground. “I will take him,” he declares.

Obviously the owner expects that Inaho is playing some sort of prank. He scoffs, then, when he realizes Inaho is serious, narrows his eyes. Trying to prevent Inaho from buying Slaine, he lowers his voice so it holds a dangerous edge and states his demand. “I want all of the money, paid in cash, by the end of the auction today, or the deal is off”

Without hesitation Inaho responds, “Sold.”

_Maybe it is all a scam_ , Inaho thinks. _He may be selling a look-a-like to have people who want to make him suffer pay an inflated price for a damaged slave. Paying 1,500 for a slave is a little excessive, especially since the people here likely would not have brought that much._  He is grateful he was required by the military to bring 2,000 in emergency money. _Oh well_ , Inaho muses. _It’s not like I was going to use the money for something better. And if it really is not Slaine I will have saved an innocent life._

Inaho glances back to the stage. He is surprised to see that Slaine(?) has lowered his head so his bangs have fallen in front of his eyes.

After the other slave has been sold, Slaine is led off the stage. He does not resist like he had before; there is only a silent resignation that he seems to be carrying on his shoulders. Somehow this seems even sadder to Inaho than if he had been executed.


	2. Chapter 2

After all the other slaves had been auctioned off, Inaho proceeds to behind where the slaves that are waiting for their new owners are stored. As he anticipated, _Slaine’s_ owner is standing next to him waiting expectedly for the money.

 

Inaho hands the cash to the man and waits patiently while he counts it. While he does so Inaho has the opportunity to get a better look at the slave.

 

Now that Inaho is so close to him, he knows that it is for sure Slaine, despite his previous doubts. Despite the obvious signs of starvation that he has already seen with all the other slaves, Slaine appears to be healthy and relatively uninjured. Inaho is sure with a few weeks of humane treatment that Slaine will be back to normal.

 

Satisfied with the money Inaho gave him, Slaine’s previous owner turns to him. “The man at the desk has his files.” He beckons to the opposite side of the room where there is a man sitting behind a desk talking with another person. With that, Slaine’s previous owner turns and walks away without another word.

 

Inaho feels a twinge of irritation. That man could have given him Slaine’s files after he got paid, however, making him go to this other man was obviously a petty way at trying to get back at Inaho for preventing the execution.

 

After making his way over to the desk with Slaine in tow he finds a few other people are waiting in line before him. Inaho hold back a sigh of annoyance.

 

Finally it is Inaho’s turn. “I am here to retrieve the files for Slaine Troyard” he says.

 

The man’s face contorts into one of disgust instantly, his eyes snapping to Slaine and roaming his entire body. His eyes land back on Inaho when he clears his throat. “There’s very little in his file, unfortunately.” The man says as he retrieves a folder from behind the tab. “Though, I’m obligated to tell you that this slave has a history of violence…” his eyes narrow, “as I’m sure you were already aware.”

 

“I’m sure I can handle him sir,” Inaho responds. “I served in the army while the war was still going so I know how to defend myself.” B _esides he looks too weak to be able to much damage anyway,_ Inaho thinks.

 

The man only grunts in response before handing Inaho the paperwork and shows him where to sign as proof of purchase.

 

“Make sure to teach Troyard his place!” the man yells as Inaho turns to leave. “Make him pay for everything he has done! Give him a punishment worse than death and leave him wishing he had been executed.”

 

Inaho does not respond.


	3. Chapter 3

Inaho had to admit his home was a little bigger than what he needs, especially considering he is the only one to live there. After the war, as reimbursement for everything Inaho had sacrificed and how instrumental he was in winning, the UFE gave him and Yuki the house. Inaho admits it is not his dream house, he would prefer something smaller and more homey, but he supposes it will work. Yuki used to live there with him, but she moved out about three months ago to be closer to her work. The house has two floors and a basement that is mostly used for storage.

 

Now he is thankful that it has a spare bedroom, which will be perfect for Slaine.

 

Inaho leads Slaine inside and proceeds to give him a tour of the house, trying to express to Slaine that he is welcome.

 

The last room in the house Inaho shows Slaine is his bedroom. It had been Yuki’s bedroom before she moved out and Inaho had kept it decorated for her for when she came to visit.

 

Opening the door to Yuki’s old room, he explains, "I have had no time to prepare this room for your arrival. I was not expecting that I would purchase a slave at the auction and so the room is still furnished for my sister when she comes to visit." The room is generously decorated with pink and purple; even the bed has a pink comforter on it. "I can change the colors so it is more fitting for a male."

 

Slaine only grunts in a noncommittal way and meanders over to the bed, taking a seat.  He absent-mindedly runs his hand over the bedspread. _I haven't had a bed like this since I was a count,_ he reflects.

 

"I have a few other color options,” Inaho states.

 

Slaine sits mutely on the bed staring at Inaho without giving him a response. It’s not the decision that’s difficult for him, but rather the wariness that comes with being given the choice at all. His previous master had not even given him a bed, let alone allowed him to make decisions about his life, no matter how insignificant they were.

 

Inaho stands in the doorway, waiting for a response. "You can choose from green, blue, white, and gray," Inaho states, as if Slaine had just needed to know that information for the decision to be made.

 

Slaine doesn’t respond, nor does he even look up at Inaho. _Doesn’t he know?_ Slaine wonders. _With this collar on I can't speak._ He feels a twinge of annoyance at his new captor. Since Inaho bought a slave he should know how to properly deal with the responsibilities. Slaine would have imagined that out of everyone, Inaho, the human computer, should already know how to handle a mere slave.

 

The collar, although programmable, has a few general settings that come imbedded in the programming. These are useful because then the owner just has to choose one of the settings and not have to individually say each restriction the collar should punish for.

 

After his previous owner bought Slaine, he had never changed the settings from the “auction” settings, so the collar had been unusually harsh. Slaine doesn’t know if this was because of plain cruelty or some form of revenge, but the restrictions had made his life a living hell.

 

But Slaine knows he can’t blame Inaho. He committed atrocities during his lifetime and he deserves to pay with every last ounce of his life, and he knew this even before it was beaten into him. He even knew this as he was committing the very actions that made him into the tyrant he is known for today. Inaho, whatever his intentions were when he bought Slaine, should and likely does hold a grudge against him. Slaine shot his eye out and almost killed him, and those are only the things he did to directly injure him, excluding possibly killing his comrades and destroying his home planet (not that it isn’t Slaine’s home planet as well, but with how he treated it it may as well not be). Maybe Inaho plans to be like his previous owner. To torture him and remind him every second that he should not continue to be alive. The uncertainty of the situation makes Slaine nervous, and he wishes that Inaho would have had just allowed the execution to take place. No one else would have stopped it, and then he would be out of his misery for good. His life is not worth the 1,500 that Inaho had to pay just so he could continue to pump air in and out of his lungs.

 

Slaine stays silent, not meeting Inaho’s eye. Inaho, still silently waiting for a response, notices how Slaine has purposefully been avoiding eye contact and not talking ever since he picked Slaine up from the auction house.

 

Realizing that Slaine was not going to give him an answer to the bed sheet question, Inaho turns and makes his way to the basement. Opening the cabinet used for linens and towels he grabs the top most sheets and returns upstairs.

 

Slaine is standing by the window when Inaho returns. "I grabbed the top sheets in the cabinet,” Inaho explains. "I hope gray is to your liking."

 

When Inaho yet again receives no response from Slaine, he then begins to tear Yuki’s sheets off and replace them with the fresh ones from the basement. When he is about halfway done Slaine comes over and stands next to him, watching wordlessly.

 

When he is finished Inaho throws one last glance around the room, taking note of how it is a little dirty and will need to be cleaned soon, preferably tomorrow. "I will be downstairs cooking dinner if you need anything. I can come get you when it is finished, but feel free to roam around the house some more if you would like."

 

Still receiving no response from Slaine, Inaho turns and heads back downstairs. He’s not entirely sure if that was the correct decision to make, leaving Slaine alone upstairs, but he figures that Slaine will need some time to adjust. In addition, from what he can remember about the former count, he had always seemed to be more of a private person, even if he sometimes donned the skin of a cold and heartless dictator.

 

In the kitchen, Inaho looks through his recipes trying to find one he thinks Slaine will like. Inaho had to cook for him and his sister ever since he was little, so he has become fairly good at it. Yuki of course did her best, but after they left the orphanage there was only so much she could do for the both of them. Inaho wonders if he is partially the way he is because he had to grow up faster than other kids.

 

Many people believe that Inaho is strange. He thinks that this may have something to do with his unparalleled ability to come to accurate conclusions through the use of logic. He also thinks it may have something to do with his antisocial tendencies as well. But its not that he cares. They can think what they want.

 

Inaho was bullied when he and Yuki still lived in the orphanage. Those memories still haunt him and Inaho supposes that his antisocial behavior may have something to do with this as well.

 

Inaho is stirring the curry when he hears a loud scream coming from upstairs. Startled, he jumps and a little bit of curry splatters on the stove. The scream sounds strangled, as if Slaine is trying to suppress it but it is too painful and he has no choice but to cry out.

 

Abandoning the food, Inaho bolts up the stairs. He knows that when he stopped visiting Slaine in prison he already had poor mental health, and he suspects that Slaine’s hasn’t gotten any better. His mental health probably deteriorated, if anything.

 

By the time he makes it to Slaine’s bedroom the screaming has stopped. Inaho finds Slaine sprawled and panting on the floor. One hand is gripping his collar while the other he uses to support himself.

 

Inaho approaches with caution. Inaho does not know what caused the collar to punish Slaine. He only knows that something must have triggered it, and that means Slaine might be dangerous even though Inaho does not want to believe it.  


When Slaine looks up at Inaho, for a moment Inaho thinks he can see a little bit of vulnerability shining through, but Slaine is quick to mask it with the icy glare he remembers from when Slaine was a count. Seeing the infamous count Slaine Saazbaum on the floor after something had obviously been wrong strikes something in Inaho. His heart becomes heavy with sadness and he feels that Slaine does not deserve this punishment. Quickly the moment is gone as Slaine looks away and begins to get up from the floor.

 

“Are you okay?” Inaho decides to ask, hoping he may finally get the blond to answer him. He has never been very good at giving anyone comfort, physical or emotional; he would always leave that to Yuki or his friends.

 

Slaine, standing shakily on his feet, gives Inaho a harsh glare and hastily wipes the expression off his face after he remembers whom he is glaring at. _His master_. Slaine would do well as to not aggravate him on their first day together.

 

“I heard some screaming so I came upstairs to check on you. However it seems as at present you are of no threat to anyone.” _I wonder why the collar punished him…_ Inaho studies Slaine for a moment, taking note of how he has once again has averted his eyes. Receiving no reply, Inaho continues, “Dinner will be ready soon, so please come downstairs in about ten minutes.”

 

As Inaho goes back downstairs his mind is once again whirling with questions. The incident upstairs makes Inaho realize just how little he actually knows about how the collars work. He knows that they dole out punishments based on behavior, so it must be easy to set strict restrictions. However, especially with Slaine’s case, Inaho realizes he needs to learn more. He doesn’t know what kinds of restrictions are possible, or what restrictions Slaine has now.

 

Inaho returns to cooking, pleasantly surprised to see that the food did not burn. He allows his mind to wander, and finds himself thinking about the past.

 

Thinking about it fills Inaho with a fiery rage. First of all, Asseylum told him that she and Slaine used to be childhood friends. But then after the war was over, she did not hesitate to place all the blame onto Slaine just so Earth and Mars could unite behind a common enemy. She valued peace over the happiness of her childhood friend. Their past friendship did not matter to her in the least.

 

In addition, Inaho feels both guilty and upset that he left Slaine in the care of the prison warden. Obviously the warden could not handle the responsibility of watching Slaine in jail. But, Inaho is also partially to blame. He allowed Slaine to push him away. He believed Slaine when he said that Inaho was putting additional stress in his life and that he would be better without him there. So Inaho left. Now he wishes he didn’t.

 

Slaine may be suffering again, but this time Inaho will not pass the responsibility onto others.

 

Just as Inaho is finishing setting the table, Slaine enters the dining room. He barely spares a glance at Inaho before taking his seat at the table, Inaho joining him promptly.

 

Dinner is quiet; the only noises are the soft clinking of the Tupperware as it brushes against the ceramic dishes.

 

Inaho notices how Slaine picks at his food, barely touching it but rather pushing it around his plate.

 

“You should eat. You need to consume the proper nutrients and calories in order to be healthy” Inaho states, nearly finished with his own dinner. He notices how skinny Slaine is, almost anorexic. Every bone can be seen through his taunt skin, and he appears very pale and sickly. Inaho wonders how Slaine got to be in this state, whether it was his past owners’ fault or whether he has continuously rejected food like he did in the prison, and now too. Inaho guesses it is a mix of both.

 

Slaine only nods half-heartedly. In reality the food Inaho has cooked looks and smells amazing; it has been quite a while since he had a real meal. Slaine can’t even remember the last time he had hot food. His previous owner opted to feeding him table scraps, if anything at all. He has gotten used to not eating very much. What would be the point anyway? He prefers to eat as little as possible anyway, tiny portions that are just enough to keep him going, to keep him trapped in his own body. That would make the end come sooner, or so he hoped. But he couldn’t end it. His life was no longer under his control.

 

He didn’t deserve it, this hot food. He was only living to keep the peace between Earth and Mars. Once the leaders of the UFE and the other rich people of Earth got tired of his pitiful existence he would finally be allowed to leave this world behind. Everything else was insignificant, meaningless, temporary. He had been so close. If Inaho had never came to the auction Slaine would have died tomorrow. But then Inaho came and squandered his plans. Typical. Slaine should have foreseen it.

 

Slaine’s stomach churns with worry at all the thoughts swirling around in his head, and he is sure it will be impossible to eat anything even if he tried. He tries to hold his utensil steady and not let Inaho see how afraid he really is. Why did Inaho save him? What does he plan to do to him? Out of everyone on Earth, Inaho has the most right to hate Slaine; he was the cause of the eye patch he has been purposefully avoiding looking at. Is Inaho just being nice so Slaine will trust him? Slaine is on edge; Inaho is a master strategizer and analyst. A genius. What makes it worse is that with his blank face Slaine never knows what he is thinking or planning.

 

Slaine is just waiting for the moment Inaho will turn on him. Kick him. Throw him outside like the animal he is. Slaine wants it to happen. He deserves it. Then he wouldn’t have to sit and wait in fear of what Inaho is planning. Knowing Inaho, he is probably planning something more intricate than the daily torture of his previous masters. Maybe the food is drugged, and he will wake up unable to help himself or stop the torture… no matter how much he wants to die he fears being unable to control his death.

 

But somehow Slaine senses that Inaho will not let him die. Inaho must be planning something. The fear of more torture, of more suffering and grueling pain, terrifies Slaine more than he can admit. But he will not give Inaho the pleasure of knowing this. If this is a mind game, which he is growing more sure it is by the minute, Slaine is determined to win. He has had much practice on Vers. Inaho may be undefeatable in tactical and logical games, but Slaine knows how to win at mind games.

 

Slaine does not eat more of his dinner than a few bites, and soon he finds himself back in his room upstairs. Slaine’s heart is racing, and he is dreading the moment Inaho finishes cleaning up and comes upstairs…

 

Slaine wraps his arms around himself and sits on the bed to stop his incessant pacing around the room he had subconsciously started doing. He tries to even out his breathing; he can feel the beginnings of a panic attack tickling the corners of his mind. The constant thinking of what is to come is as bad as actual torture.

 

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

 

Downstairs, Inaho finishes washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen. He wanders into the living room and finds himself staring at the folder he got at the auction. He picks it up and stares at the cover, ‘Slaine Troyard’ printed in bold print on the front cover. It seems as if those two words are hypnotizing, as Inaho cannot tear his eyes from them. The folder seems heavier than it really is – it holds everything Inaho does and does not know about Slaine.

 

Bracing himself, Inaho takes a seat on the couch and opens the cover. He is immediately greeted by a page detailing everything about Slaine. His age, height, weight, etc. is what Inaho was expecting, and that information is what he finds at the top of the page. However as his gaze slips lower he reads more personal information, such as that he is prone to nightmares and responds “well” to violence.

 

Inaho slams the folder closed. He knows that Slaine is now technically his property and he is allowed to do whatever he wants with him, but reading this information feels like a violation of Slaine’s privacy. He feels as if knowing this information will not help him in any with Slaine, and that if Slaine wants him to know he will eventually tell Inaho.

 

Inaho opens the folder once again, but this time he purposefully skips the first pages, which contain all the information anyone would ever want to know about Slaine. As he flips through page after page of descriptions and pictures, some very graphic, he thinks about how degrading this information must be for Slaine and how much power this information would give Slaine’s owners. Apparently for a slave, nothing is private enough to be kept secret. Knowledge is power, Inaho knows better than anyone else. He is not surprised to find that there is little subjective information from Slaine’s previous owner, probably because he was expecting that no one would buy Slaine.

 

Finally Inaho gets to some papers that do not divulge some of Slaine’s personal information. The first paper is titled “Owner history.” As Inaho’s eyes travel down the list, he comes to the realization that nowhere on the list does it mention that Slaine was in prison. This raises a few questions in his mind and sets off a few red flags. He knew that Slaine’s imprisonment was secret, but it should at least be mentioned as part of Slaine’s life as a captive of Earth.

 

Most of the other information on the page does not interest Inaho; he does not recognize many of the names on the list but only assumes they are people who either retained wealth through the war or made money off of the army.

 

Inaho begins to search for information about the collar around Slaine’s neck to see if there was any way for it to be removed.

 

Skimming through the pages is time consuming but finally Inaho reaches the page he has been looking for: Proper Handling of a New Slave. It seems to be a standard-issue page that comes with every purchase of a slave, but Inaho finds it extraordinarily helpful, much more so than the other papers. He skips down to the part specifically about the collar.

 

“The general issue Human Electric Punishment and Retribution Collar was designed using aldnoah for specific use on prisoners of the war from Mars. (See General Information Page for specific collar information about for your individual slave). The collar works on a system of rules and a behavior-recognition program. When activated by a recognized ‘bad’ behavior, the collar will administer an electric shock, which will do anything from sting to leave the slave immobile. There are multiple ways for an owner to set the rules that the collar, and thus slave, will follow. When sold, every slave’s collar is adjusted to the “auction” setting (See below for all built-in programs included in every collar). All collars are designed so the owner can change or adjust the rules at any time, however it is suggested that owners use the program most suitable to their needs and then add additional rules as necessary. However, if wanted, owners can create their own set of rules independent from any included program.”

 

Inaho hastily skims the rest of how to program Slaine’s collar, determined that it is the first thing he is going to do for Slaine. As he is about to put down the folder and head upstairs he realizes that he still has to check which collar Slaine has in order to program it. This requires him to go back through some of the pages containing Slaine’s personal information.

 

Reluctantly Inaho goes back to those pages, trying to just read headings so he won’t invade Slaine’s privacy any more than necessary.

 

Inaho finally finds what he is looking for, but his eye catches on the subject directly above the collar type: penis length. Inaho is not one to be embarrassed or flustered easily, but somehow reading this information about Slaine makes him uncomfortable. He tries not to dwell on it as he reads:

 

“Collar – 23GE7 is one specifically designed for the worst of the Martians after the war.” Inaho can already tell he’s not going to enjoy reading about this. “This collar is different from other collars in a few key ways. First, this collar does not differentiate between different levels of shocks for different behaviors, instead only administering the most painful ‘immobilizing’ shock.” Inaho narrows his eyes and continues reading. “In addition this collar is much stricter than other similar collars so if there is any doubt if a behavior if within the range of punishable behaviors it will not hesitate to administer a shock.”

 

Somehow this information does not surprise Inaho. He had been expecting something of the sort, but reading it and knowing that Slaine has to live with this every day makes his gut twist a little.

 

“The specific restrictions set on [Slaine Troyard]’s collar are as follows:

  1. He is in no way allowed to hurt or threaten any other person
  2. He may not purposefully hurt himself or try to commit suicide
  3. He is not allowed to try to escape from recognized owner
  4. He is not allowed to leave the boundaries of the premises, as stated by the owner
  5. He is not allowed to think about escaping or formulate a plan in any way
  6. Any speaking, unless formally addressed or to warn of danger, is prohibited
  7. Disobeying any order, command, or other statement made by the owner is forbidden
  8. Any unnecessary enjoyable expression of creativity, such as writing, drawing, reading for a purpose other than labels, signs, instructions, etc. is prohibited
  9. He is not allowed to try to organize with other people in any way to try to rebel, spread ideas, or ignite other acts of defiance
  10. He is not allowed to ask for anything for himself
  11. He may not cause any damage to private property.
  12. All punishments are given at the fullest power level possible regardless of the behavior



 

After reading all the rules Slaine is obliged to follow Inaho is able to understand why Slaine was not responding to anything he said. If Slaine said anything there was a risk that the collar would shock him and leave him screaming in pain like the last time Inaho found him.

 

At the very bottom of the page it reads “The passcode currently protecting the collar is Lavender6734.” Inaho is not exactly sure what this password is used for, but nevertheless he stores it in his memory for later.

 

Inaho stands. Slaine may have killed millions and at one point been the leader of nearly the entire Martian army, however there is a limit to how much punishment is acceptable. He is not going to allow Slaine to live his life here controlled by the metal device strapped around his neck. The programming seems simple enough; Inaho is sure he will be able to set new rules that are less restrictive than the last ones.

 

He begins striding towards Slaine’s room. He promised Asseylum that he would try to pull Slaine from the chains of misery that he was in. He failed once before, but he will not fail again.


	4. Chapter 4

Slaine is jolted awake when he hears the door to his room slam open. He begins to panic – he must have fallen asleep while he was sitting on the bed. He allowed his guard to be lowered and now he is going to pay for his mistake.

 

He watches wide-eyed as Inaho enters, his steps confidant and a light of determination burning in his eyes. Slaine jumps backwards so quickly he loses his balance and falls off the other side of the bed. His breathing is now irregular and the familiar feeling of panic is clouding his mind. Inaho has finally come to punish him, but Slaine is not ready. He wants to cry and scream, to punch and kick and fight with all his might against his enemy, anything but watch terrified an Inaho rounds the bed.

 

Slaine scrambles back into the wall, slamming himself so hard he knows there will be a bruise. Right now that is the least of his worries. He knew this was coming, but he wanted to mentally prepare himself for what he knows Inaho will do. It’s likely torture and punishment for killing his allies and shooting him in the head. His eyes fill with tears of fear and hopelessness. He wants to fight back, to resist whatever Inaho has in store for him. He wants some control over his life.

 

But he also knows this will only result in the collar administering an electric shock that will render him immobile, completely at the mercy of his enemy.

 

His mouth open in a silent scream, Slaine’s mind becomes blank as Inaho bends down in front of him. He can’t breathe, the world around him seems to be too hot and is spinning and it’s getting darker and HE CAN’T BREATHE! His mind is simultaneously filled with a million thoughts and nothing at all but he feels so helpless and he’s going to die right here, right now.

 

_I’m going to die._ Slaine is not exactly sure why that thought crosses his mind but he feels a little bit better. He can finally be free from this terrible world like he should have years ago.

 

The thought is calming, final. As if the entire world conspired for him to die in this way and he no longer has to live wishing he could finally pay the ultimate price. He should have done so years ago; it was his plan from the beginning.

 

As his breathing begins to even out he can hear some muffled voices. Well, one voice in particular. The one he detests more than everything but himself.

 

Slaine allows himself to be dragged back to the present, saddened to find himself still breathing. He is lying against the wall, his hands gripping his hair painfully. Inaho is kneeling in front of him, one hand outstretched as if hesitating whether or not to try to touch Slaine. _Why does Inaho always end up ruining my plans?_ Slaine briefly wonders.

 

“-y sorry. I did not mean to upset you so much by entering your room so suddenly. Now I see the error in my ways, and it won’t happen again.” Inaho allows his hand to fall back onto his lap next to the other one. He notices how Slaine is shaking and how his eyes still seem unfocused. “It was never my intention to scare or upset you; I only came because I wanted to change the restrictions on your collar.”

 

Slaine does not respond to Inaho other than to narrow his eyes and glare at his feet, wishing he could burn Inaho into obviation with his glare.

 

Inaho allows Slaine to get up into more of a sitting position, watching at he slowly releases his hair and blink a few times, as if he didn’t realize that he had started to grip it so furiously. “I rushed in so quickly because I was upset at all the rules that you must follow and felt compelled to change them immediately. I did not consider how you might have reacted to this, and I am sorry.”

 

Slaine closes his eyes in resignation. His heart is still racing but he does not feel so utterly terrified that he is incapable of anything.

 

“In order for me to change the rules, my hand must come into contact with the collar. Is that all right?” Inaho settles on asking.

 

Slaine is confused by Inaho’s actions. He just had the perfect opportunity to incapacitate Slaine while he had been panicking, but he did not. He could easily overpower Slaine; Inaho likely has had ongoing military training while Slaine has been fed only the bare necessity for his heart to continue to beat. He is in no condition to fight Inaho.

 

These unexpected actions put Slaine on high alert. Inaho must have some reason for trying to be kind to him. Slaine desperately scans his mind for any reason that Inaho might act like this. Suddenly it hits him: Inaho wants Slaine to trust him so he can change the rules. This is Inaho’s way of getting revenge on Slaine. He wants to place additional restrictions on Slaine so his life is even more of a living hell than it already is. That is his way of torturing Slaine: he will live every day in fear and pain, constantly tormented by his enemy. He will be unable to escape, unable to protect himself.

 

Unable to die.

 

Slaine’s breathing once again increases. However this time he is determined not to allow Inaho to notice how scared he is. He tries to keep his breathing even, but his heart is beating uncontrollably and he is sure Inaho notices.

 

Sure enough, Inaho notices how Slaine pulls his arms closer to himself but quickly tries to hide his reaction. Inaho is at a loss. He is not sure how he should respond to Slaine, and his interaction is severely inhibited by the fact that Slaine cannot talk without risking a painful electric shock. That is why he must change the restrictions on Slaine’s collar – if he can just get the blond to talk to him he can begin to help end Slaine’s suffering.

 

“I have no intention of hurting you,” Inaho starts, staring steadily into Slaine’s eyes. “Up until this point in my life I had no real interest in owning a slave because I saw it as an overly vindictive way to deal with the aftermath of the war. People are not property and…” Inaho pauses before adding the last part, “my sister taught me that every life is precious.”

 

Inaho hears Slaine’s breathing begin to even out and not sound so forced. He continues, hoping that what he is saying is helping Slaine to trust him more. “Because of that I never learned how the collars worked, that is why I haven’t changed the rules that bind you. I just recently learned about how strict your collar in particular is, and I would feel remorseful if I did not immediately do something, hence my sudden barge in.”

 

Inaho begins to explain the process by which he will change the rules on Slaine’s collar. He hopes that if Slaine knows what Inaho is going to do he will not react so severely. “My hand must come into contact with the collar. Likely the collar will need me to identify myself and register me as your new owner. It will ask me questions, but then I can change your rules.”

 

The way that Inaho is treating Slaine makes him mad. He does not deserve kindness, especially not from his enemy. Slaine does not care if Inaho is only being nice so he can make his life worse. If Slaine were Inaho, he would have changed the rules while Slaine was on the floor and in no position to even put up any form of resistance.

 

“I need you to hold still while I change the rules.” Inaho says, finishing his short and brief explanation.

 

Slaine hears the almost nonexistent beep he has grown to fear and hate since the collar has been put on his neck. It means that the collar just registered what Inaho just said as a direct command and if Slaine does not obey, he will receive a shock.

 

Slaine tries to control the feeling of panic and hopelessness as it threatens to rise up and overpower him. _Does he even know what he just did?_ Slaine wonders, thinking about what Inaho just told him. Then he mentally kicks himself. This is Inaho Kaizuka, globally known prodigy and strategist who won the war for Earth. He knows what he is doing.  

 

Inaho has once again backed Slaine into a corner, but this time a mental one where he has to choose between being shocked and incapacitated or willingly let Inaho do as he wills. Either way Inaho will make Slaine’s life worse.

 

Instead of answering directly, Slaine meekly tilts his head slightly to the left so his neck and collar are more exposed. He hates how Inaho holds his life in his hands. He hates how he is unable to react or defend himself. He hates how he is showing submission to the person who ruined all his plans. Ruined his life. He hates how Inaho will not just kill him already.

 

It is all incredibly degrading, but Slaine tries not to let it show. He has gotten used to hiding his true emotions and feelings. They bring nothing but misery and usually only result in giving his owner more pleasure from his suffering.

 

Inaho carefully reaches his hand out to Slaine’s collar, trying to show him that he means no harm through his actions.  His fingertips find the cool metal of the collar and he brushes his hand back so his palm is fully resting on the metal.

 

Inaho waits a few moments, and then it seems as if the metal grows warmer. Inaho has never seen anything like the collar. At first it was the normal boring silver color, but suddenly it begins to shine and glimmer as if it is alive. He hears an automated voice that seems to be completely surrounding him. He cannot discern where it is coming from, so he can only assume it is from the collar.

 

Inaho looks into Slaine’s eyes to see if he has reacted in any way. Slaine has squeezed his eyes shut and grit his teeth as if bracing for some sort of pain. However he is not reacting to the voice, so Inaho assumes that the voice is only present in his head.

 

<Please confirm these details before continuing: Collar number 187369 registered to Slaine Troyard.>

 

“Correct” Inaho states.

 

There is a pause. <Voice not recognized in local core records. Searching for current master in memory.>

 

There is a short silence before the voice continues. <No current master is registered for Slaine Troyard. If you are his new master, say ‘yes’. If this is an error, or to ask for other options, say ‘error.’>

 

“Yes”

 

<Please state your name and the security code found on the information page in Slaine’s papers.>

 

Ah. So that’s why Inaho needed that password. He is once again glad for his sharp memory. “Inaho Kaizuka. Lavender6734.”

 

<Documented and verified.> There are a few noises of whirring before the voice continues. <Registering DNA and fingerprints as new master.> Inaho feels a little bit of tickling on his hand, but he does not pull away.

 

<For added security, the new security code is rosebud11. For a different code, say ‘change.’ To have me repeat the code, say ‘repeat.’ If you will be able to remember this code say ‘continue.’>

 

“Continue”

 

<Opening options.> There is another pause as the system registers Inaho as Slaine’s new owner and processes the new data. <For information about this collar, say ‘one’. For information about Slaine, say ‘two.’> Inaho once again feels angered by how Slaine has no privacy, but he keeps his face blank and emotionless.  <To hear the list of restrictions currently set, say ‘three.’ To set additional restrictions, say ‘four.’ To edit or remove the current restrictions, say ‘five–’>

 

Inaho does not hesitate to say five, hoping that he can get this process over with quickly. He can see that Slaine is obviously not enjoying it.

 

<To edit a specific restriction, say ‘edit’ then the specific restriction. To remove a restriction, say ‘remove’ then the specific restriction.>

 

“Remove all” Inaho says, hoping to cut to the chase and speed the process up.

 

There is a pause that drags out for much longer than all the other pauses, and Inaho begins to worry that he may have messed something up by saying a command that the collar does not recognize.

 

Slaine, meanwhile, is filled with confusion because this is not what he expected Inaho to do. Inaho should have said ‘two’ or ‘four,’ then began to add more rules as he saw fit. But he said five, a command no other master has ever said.

 

And Inaho’s words of ‘remove all’ further confuse Slaine. He does not know exactly what Inaho is talking about when he said it because he does not know the exact communication between the collar and Inaho. However, having many masters has its perks, because he is now able to guess what his master is doing with his collar.

 

Even though Slaine thinks Inaho just removed all of the restrictions, Slaine’s guard is still raised. He begins to think of all the ways that Inaho could remove the restrictions and still torture him.  They are numerous, and they make Slaine’s stomach churn from fear of the unknown.

 

Inaho is relieved when the collar finally responds. <All restrictions deleted. Awaiting new restrictions; say ‘finished’ when done.> Surprised at how easy it was to get straight to the point where he could set his own rules, Inaho immediately begins.

 

“Number one: Slaine may not leave my property. Number two: Slaine may not physically attack or injure anyone he comes into contact with.” Inaho thinks for a moment, then finally adds, “And number three: Slaine may not purposefully damage my property. Finished.” Inaho cannot think of any other rules that would be necessary for Slaine to live in his house. The old rules were too excessive and Inaho wants for Slaine to be the person he knew during the war: the cold calculating count that was able to rally almost all the orbital nights behind him. The boy who (incorrectly) taught Asseylum about Earth. The son of the scientist from Earth who went to Vers to study Aldnoah. The master pilot that was able to dodge Inaho’s attacks. The prisoner he took as a captive on the beach. And now the slave that is huddled in a corner of his house. Inaho finds that he wants to know more about that person.

 

Slaine is taken aback. This is not what Inaho should have done. He needs to add more rules, not give him more freedom than any of his previous owners.

 

Inaho quickly finishes with the collar, quickly dismissing it, having accomplished his original goal. He stands, his legs a little sore from having squatted for a long time. He looks at Slaine, who is still hunched against the wall, and offers him a hand up.

 

Slaine watches all of this warily, but instead of taking Inaho’s offered hand he lowers his head, allowing his bangs to cover his eyes.

 

The room fills with silence, and Inaho wonders what Slaine is thinking. “Kill me” Slaine finally whispers. It is not a question, but rather an order, a demand.

 

Inaho lowers his hand, wondering if he hears Slaine correctly. “I cannot.” He states simply.

 

Slaine was expecting this, but it still hurts. It is the only thing he wants in the world, what he deserves. He tries to hold back tears of despair, but he can feel them building up in his eyes.

 

“Please…” Slaine gasps. “Just-”

 

“You are going to live,” Inaho cuts him off, this time a little more persistent.

 

The entire house is silent, and Inaho wonders if Slaine is going to speak again until he hears Slaine mutter, “Why…?” His voice sounds broken and raspy, as if he is not used to using it. “I…” Slaine gulps. “I killed so many. Their b-blood coats my hands and…” no matter how much Slaine tries to hold back his tears, they begin to streak down his face. “I deserve to die. I am the m-most hated p-person…” he allows his voice to fade out, becoming engrossed in poorly-suppressed sobs.

 

_Why?_ Inaho thinks _. Because you are incredibly interesting. You are from Earth yet rose in the Martian ranks fast enough to become a count by age 18. You were the only person who was able to dodge my attacks in battle. You befriended the princess of Vers and taught her about Earth. You do not deserve to die._

Inaho wants to say all of that, but he suspects that will lead Slaine to believe Inaho bought him because he views him as a science experiment. So instead he says, “The princess wished for you to be happy and for me to ensure that. I already failed once, leaving you at the prison and trusting that the guards would do their job properly. I am not going to fail again.”

 

Inside his head, Slaine scoffs at Inaho’s words. _He says all those petty words but yet he will not give me the one thing I want: death. He knows it is what I deserve, but he is allowing himself to be deceived by the princess._ Instead of answering, Slaine rests his head on his knees and pulls his arms over himself. He just wants to be left alone. Or for Inaho to kill him.

 

Preferably the second option.

 

Inaho stays for a minute longer, staring at Slaine. He notices how broken he looks. Inaho can see every bone through his pale skin and his hair no longer holds the shine Inaho remembers it having. He makes a promise to himself that he will return Slaine to how he used to be. He knows that if he does so he will also learn about Slaine.

 

He is the only thing in the entire universe Inaho has been unable to understand.

 

After a few tense moments, Inaho turns and leaves, closing the door quietly behind himself.

 

That night, too exhausted to move, Slaine falls asleep on the floor huddled up against himself.


	5. Chapter 5

When Slaine awakes the next morning, his neck is stiff from staying in a squatting position all night. He stands up slowly and rubs his neck, trying to massage some of the soreness away. He is used to keeping perfectly still while he sleeps because his second master used to beat him if he stirred in the night, however, this has often led to him falling asleep in uncomfortable positions.

 

He blinks sleepily, and then the smell of eggs hits his nose. Slaine reasons that Inaho has already risen and is downstairs cooking breakfast. Slaine briefly feels a twinge of jealousy at people like Inaho who are naturally morning people before sighing and resigning himself to hobble to the bathroom.

 

Slaine stares at the sink and wonders if he is allowed to use it. His previous owner demanded that he use a small water-filled trough that sat outside like “the animal he is.” He doesn’t even remember the last time he used hot water. Then he remembers that Inaho removed almost all of his previous restrictions and that Inaho likely expects Slaine to prepare himself for the day.

 

Slaine splashes his face with cold water, conscious as to not overstep Inaho’s boundaries and use hot water he doesn’t even know if he is allowed, and tries to remove the look of exhaustion that seems to have become a permanent feature of his face. Staring at himself in the mirror, Slaine quickly averts his eyes. He does not deserve this body; he does not deserve to live.

 

Two rapid knocks on the bathroom door snap Slaine’s attention to the present. He hastily dries his face and straightens himself, mumbling permission for Inaho to enter.

 

Opening the bathroom door, Slaine is greeted by Inaho’s typical blank face. Slaine briefly wonders if Inaho ever shows any expression on his face or if he is always as stoic as a statue. “Breakfast is ready. I made omelets today, so please come downstairs when you are ready.” With that, Inaho turns and walks downstairs.

 

Slaine begins to follow out of habit of listening to his master’s every word for fear of being punished, but then realizes that he is no longer bound by such strict restrictions anymore. He hesitates at the top of the stairs, watching as Inaho reaches the first floor. He considers returning to his room and going back to sleep. Then he mentally kicks himself. It would be unwise to test Inaho’s limits when he has set such unclear boundaries. He is still the one with complete control over Slaine’s life, and Inaho has already made it clear that he is not going to allow Slaine to die. With a sigh of resignation Slaine trudges down the stairs.

 

Upon entering the dining room, Slaine is greeted by an omelet placed across from Inaho, who is already sitting at the table eating his own omelet.

 

“I’m glad to see that you are an early riser.” Inaho says after Slaine takes his seat. Outside the first signs of daybreak are just beginning to show in a brilliant display of pink and orange. “I also rise early so that I can arrive to work on time.” Inaho says, the clinking of his silverware the only other sound in the room.

 

Slaine stares at his food. It makes his heart heavy that after all these years the only person to show kindness to him is his former enemy. He could not even find solace in other slaves who each had their own grudge against him and were sometimes just as cruel as their master. Slaine tries not to dwell on that fact and instead focus on his food.

 

Slaine does not tell Inaho why he wakes up early. How his owner found pleasure in waking Slaine with a bucket of ice water, or a sharp hit or kick to the face. Or one of his personal favorites: to sneak up on Slaine, jump on him and proceed to choke him while screaming, “This is for my comrade you killed” or “I hope you suffer for the rest of your worthless life.” Sometimes he stopped before Slaine passed out and sometimes he didn’t. The worst part was that Slaine couldn’t fight back, only squeeze his eyes shut and wish that death would just take him already. That’s why it was better to already be awake when his master came in the morning.

 

Sitting at the table, Slaine tries to suppress his nervousness. Inaho has given Slaine much more freedom than any of his past owners, maybe even more freedom than he has had since he lived with his dad on Earth. The collar, however, is a reminder of how caged he actually is. He never gets to relax, never gets to enjoy life again. He will always be bound by Inaho and his restrictions until the day he dies, and with the little he has learned about Inaho so far, that day will not be anytime soon.

 

With a gulp Slaine realizes he cannot expect that Inaho is going to just leave him unattended in his house all day alone. Inaho obviously has a job to attend to judging by how he is immaculately dressed in a business suit.

 

Slaine remembers how his past owner would lock him in a dark closet all day. How the closet walls were too close, and how he was forced to stand, breathing in the dust and cobwebs. Sometimes if his owner was feeling particularly cruel he would leave Slaine in there all night too. The next day Slaine would wake up sore and tired, having gotten no sleep due to his standing position.  
  
Some owners would command Slaine to do impossible tasks by time they got home. "Run up and down the stairs 1000 times" or "clean every speck of dirt off the floor with your bare hands." Then when his owner got home he would laugh at the sight of an exhausted Slaine withering and screaming on the floor, having been unable to complete the "command" given to him by his master.  
  
Another particularly painful memory, during the hot summer his master dragged Slaine outside and tied his collar to a post in the ground in the middle of his backyard, forbidding Slaine from trying to free himself and to spend the entire day pondering how animals did not deserve the same treatment as normal humans. By midday, having received no water, Slaine’s throat was already as dry as sandpaper and his skin as red as a tomato. By afternoon Slaine’s skin was burned so badly it was already blistering. Slaine was on the verge of hyperthermia. He was so hot the only thing he could do was spread himself out on the slightly cooler ground and wish that he would burn up and die already. When his master returned home he found Slaine exhausted and on death’s doorstep. That was the first time Slaine remembers fear in his master’s eyes. It was only a flicker, but Slaine assumed his master thought he was going to die as much as Slaine wished he did. Then he would have no one to torture and take out his anger on. That was the first and only night Slaine was allowed to go to bed early.  
  
Slaine does not want to admit how afraid he is of what Inaho is going to do with him during the day. There must be a reason for giving him all this freedom; however Slaine is sure there is a price he must pay.

 

The rest of breakfast proceeds in silence. Slaine only attempt small bites of his omelet, opting to allow the rest of it to cool as he stares at it. His stomach is still churning with too much nervousness to even attempt to eat more.

 

Soon Inaho clears the table and begins to prepare to leave the house.

 

“While I am gone feel free to explore the house.” Inaho explains as he pulls on his jacket. “There is a sizable backyard outside, however I have to admit that I have not been weeding it or watering it properly. You are welcome to read any book in the house, and there is also some of last night’s dinner in the fridge if you get hungry. I will be home at approximately 5:30. I left my number on the fridge, so if there is anything you need, call me.” Inaho says before turning without another word

 

Slaine is mystified. He never expected Inaho to leave him here unattended, especially after all the terrible crimes he has committed.  
  
Slaine warily watches Inaho’s car leave the driveway. Once he is sure Inaho has left, Slaine slinks up the stairs to his bedroom. He has no interest in exploring his new prison. No matter how fancy it looks, this house will forever be a prison for Slaine that he is unable to escape from. Just like the last time Slaine was in prison, Inaho will eventually give up. His life is not worth the effort Inaho has to put in, and Slaine only wishes Inaho would come to that realization soon.  
  
Now that Slaine thinks about it, he actually would prefer to be in the old prison than to be confined with his enemy. At least there everyone treated him like they should: like their enemy. Verbal and physical attacks were part of his daily routine. No one cared if meals were refused.

 

Slaine sighs as he lies down on his new bed. There is no point in doing any of the things Inaho suggested; everything is just too pointless. Slaine knows that as soon as he starts taking advantage of the freedom and privileges Inaho has given him is likely when Inaho is going to strike. Use the things he likes to manipulate him. Kick him when he is down. It’s strange how Slaine used to do the same things while he was a count, yet now fears them from his enemy. He briefly wonders if he were still a count in the war if he would have welcomed the challenge Inaho presented. Slaine pushes the thought away.  
  
At this point Slaine is unsure of what to make of Inaho’s actions. He acts as if he actually cares, as if he isn't just doing this because Asseylum ordered him to. Slaine knows this must be false. Inaho never acts without personal gain.  
  
Slaine sets his mind on it: he will determine the real reason behind why Inaho bought him.

 

After a few hours pass, Slaine resigns himself to hunger. The nervousness that loomed over him at breakfast is no longer as strong, and he can already feel the effects of hunger when he stands up too quickly or tries to exert his body.

 

Slaine slinks to the kitchen where, true to Inaho’s word, Slaine finds last night’s dinner carefully stored in the fridge. After rummaging through the cupboards for a few minutes, Slaine finally finds the plates and chopsticks.

 

He tentatively puts some food on his plate and heats it in the microwave.

 

Seating himself at the table, he carefully eats the small portion of food he got for himself. He finds that it is much easier to eat without someone staring at him or fearing repercussions.

 

After he is finished, he washes the dishes as to not leave any evidence that he rummaged through Inaho’s kitchen and hopes that Inaho will not notice that some food is missing.

 

After eating Slaine returns upstairs to his bed. He lazily watches the patterns the clouds make on the wall and listens to the birds. What is the point of exploring if he does not deserve to live? He should already be dead. He should not be here, living as Inaho’s little charity case. If only he had stayed on the moon base and not gone out to attack Inaho, he could have died then, when he should have.

 

Slaine sighs and closes his eyes, trying to clear his mind.

 

After a while he is pulled into sleep.

 

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

 

At work, Inaho has finished all his paperwork for the day, and consequently his mind wanders back to Slaine.

 

What happened to Slaine in prison? Why was he never told that Slaine had been released?

 

Inaho begins a detailed search on the prison: the warden, the guards, everything from reports from the medical staff to the food Slaine was given and what he actually consumed. After a few hours of digging and hacking, he finally finds what he is looking for.

 

What he finds is both intriguing and aggravating.

 

First, Inaho comes across the records of when he still visited Slaine in prison. Back then the guards seemed more reserved and careful, probably as to not upset Inaho.

 

Inaho re-reads the same reports he had read years ago: how Slaine was consistently unresponsive and refused to eat most meals. How he was placed on suicide watch after it became obvious that he did not possess the will to live.

 

Inaho even comes across the conversations that convinced him to leave. Each one was different in its own unique way; however they each contained some form of Slaine saying “life here would be better without you” or “I hate that your face constantly reminds me of my inescapable past” or “if you really want to make my life better stop coming. My life is not worth half your effort.”

 

If only Inaho had ignored Slaine, persuaded him then that his life was valuable… Inaho cannot help but feel ashamed that he allowed Slaine to convince him otherwise.

 

After Inaho’s visits stopped there was no dramatic change in Slaine’s behavior, which Inaho was not sure if it was a good thing or not. On one hand it meant that he was not devastated that Inaho left. However, on the other hand it meant that Slaine’s happiness was less dependent on Inaho’s visits than he originally thought.

 

Inaho continues reading. According to the guards, Slaine still refused meals and was particularly unresponsive to anything the guards said.

 

Shortly after this Slaine had another appointment with the prison doctor who recommended that Slaine be put on antidepressants and weak sedative medication at night.

 

Slaine of course did not want to take the medication prescribed to him and when the guards tried to force him to take the pills Slaine fought back vehemently.

 

This caused the warden to order that Slaine be placed on a compulsory drug order for antidepressants.

 

Slaine continued to refuse the drugs until he had to be forcefully held down while the drugs were injected. Upon reading this, Inaho cannot help but feel angered that he was not notified of any of this.

 

After that Slaine begins to refuse his meals entirely. There is no more half eaten yogurt or sandwich left when the guards take the food tray away at mealtimes. Inaho is unsure; however he believes that Slaine may have been making one last desperate attempt at suicide – to kill himself through starvation.

 

After that the guards seem to lose all patience with Slaine. Within the first week that this new behavior is noticed Slaine has his first feeding tube.

 

There is a video that Inaho hesitantly clicks on titled “first forced tube feeding.”

 

Almost immediately Inaho regrets clicking on it. He watches as Slaine is dragged into the room handcuffed, one guard gripping each arm even though Slaine puts up almost no resistance. They manhandle him into the chair and strap his arms down to the armrests. Throughout this entire time Slaine has been completely silent, as if he is used to being shoved around like that by the guards. However, as soon as Slaine sees the feeding tube his whole demeanor changes. His eyes widen and he begins to weakly pull at his restraints. “No! Wait! I- I promise I will start to eat!” Slaine’s begs become more desperate as the doctor gets closer. Although Inaho cannot clearly see his face it sounds as if Slaine has begun to cry. “Please no! I’ll eat! Just give me another chance! I will-”

 

He doesn’t get the chance to finish. One of the guards grabs his head and pulls it back until it is resting on the headrest. “You had that chance already. I’m sick of giving you special privileges, of waiting for you to decide what you want and when you want it. You are a prisoner of war; you do not deserve anything.”

 

Inaho’s blood is boiling. This is no way to treat another living person.

 

The same guard holds Slaine’s head still as the doctor inserts the tube through Slaine’s nose. From the expression on Slaine’s face the experience is obviously painful and humiliating. Inaho closes the video. He has learned as much as he is going to from that.

 

Inaho continues to research what happened after Slaine received the feeding tube. From what he can gather, Slaine never went back to accepting hard food again.

 

Then Inaho finds something interesting. One document he comes across is one describing the collar used on Martian slaves around the world.

 

Hastily Inaho checks the date and is surprised to find it dated before the date the UFE released information about the collar to the public.

 

After a few more minutes of searching, Inaho finds what he is looking for: Military Collar Test Subjects. He is not surprised to see that Slaine was one of the few people on the list. This means that Slaine was taken advantage of; the guards used him as a live test subject for prototype collars. Inaho dos not want to imagine what Slaine might have gone through during that time.

 

Apparently the guards got tired of forcing Slaine to cooperate every time. The use of the collar made things much simpler. With it, the guards just had to give the collar commands and then Slaine would have to follow them. Stupid. Cruel. Ingenious.

 

Soon after, the collars were released to the public and the UFE deemed that the resources used for Slaine’s imprisonment would be better used elsewhere. They decided that Slaine was to be sold as a slave like the thousand other Martians who choose to go against the UFE. Then people who had lots of money could care for Slaine while punishing him as well.

 

After that there is not much more relevant data.

 

Inaho sits back to analyze Slaine’s behavior. It is obvious that he had some sort of mental illness while he was in prison. It is also very likely that that illness has not gone away in the years since; if anything they would have gotten worse. Inaho suspects depression and PTSD, however those could only be the tip of the iceberg.  
  
He will need to analyze Slaine’s condition in more depth. However Inaho is sure he will be able to unravel the mystery of Slaine Troyard.

 

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

 

Slaine is standing among the stars, as if the universe has surrounded him and he can see into the future, as if he and the Tharsis are one.

 

He looks to the right and sees princess Asseylum standing next to him. Overhead all the birds of the world are flying in a parade of colors and feathers. The princess is mesmerized, watching on in wonder as Slaine begins to describe each one, holding back no fact that comes to mind.

 

Abruptly however, the flight of the birds becomes more and more desperate. They are no longer flying because they are free to do so, but to flee. The ground begins to shake and Slaine looks to the horizon. Suddenly he is on Earth, watching as it is bombarded from above. The birds are dying; they are unable to escape from death. This is his fault – he ordered that attack. Princess Asseylum is still standing next to him, but her eyes no longer look alive and beautiful. Instead Slaine is looking into the burning flame of hatred. "You did this,” she says. "You attacked Earth against my wish. You betrayed me.”

 

“No, princess. Can’t you see that I did this for you, so that you could rule over the two planets in peace? But first the war had to be won in my favor so you could take power peacefully-.”

 

“How can I take over peacefully when everything is destroyed in war and hate?” she snaps angrily. “I could never love a mere Terran like you whose priorities are warped by your own selfishness!"

 

Slaine tries to protest, to explain that she does not understand. He was building a new world where Terrans and Martians would live together. That is why this was necessary: he had to win for her. So she could take the place as the rightful ruler. But he is unable to speak. He can only listen as tears begin to stream down her face.

 

"YOU DID THIS!!!” she screams. “You will pay for ruining my dream by suffering for the rest of your life!" Princess Asseylum's face suddenly morphs into the face of his last master. Slaine tries to struggle, but finds himself back in _that_ room. His breathing rapidly increases. He must escape. Anywhere but here. Please, no! Not this again.

 

Slaine screams in frustration and fear. His master smiles. Each of Slaine’s limbs is tied to a bedpost so he is unable to move. "You will pay,” he whispers in Slaine’s ear, brandishing the whip. Slaine begs, begs not to go through the torture again. But his cries fall on deaf ears. Each hit feels like a snake of fire has etched itself in his skin. His master continues until Slaine's body is riddled with raw whip marks.

 

Suddenly his master’s friends appear, just like they did when he first got to his masters house. A "welcome gift" his master had explained. They surround him, grimy hands trapping him and forcing him down onto the bed. Slaine struggles, but this only results in receiving an electric shock. The pain is grueling and Slaine flails hopelessly, wishing to be anywhere but here.

 

This gives his attackers the perfect opportunity. They trap his legs and force his knees up, pinning them painfully at his sides. Slaine's hands still bound, he can do nothing but cry as he feels something warm press up to his entrance. No! Nonononono! This can't be happening. Not again. He tries to relax as he feels his attacker push inside, but it nearly impossible given the situation. It burns. Slaine moans, tears streaming down his face. But he knows they have every right to do so. He likely killed people who were important to them. Their friends. Their family. Their comrades. The man on top of him thrusts deeply, eliciting a whimper from Slaine. The man pounds into Slaine ruthlessly, Slaine’s protests falling on deaf ears.

 

Slaine tries to escape to the back of his mind, to where he can float above his body and be free from the suffering if only for a few minutes.

 

Slaine’s eyes snap open. There are tears on his face and his breathing is ragged and-

 

He is no longer in that room. The temporary relief is short lived because he realizes that there is someone over him. That someone is holding him, almost pinning him so he is steady.

 

Once again panic flares up inside Slaine. Are they here to rape him? He tries to struggle, a pitiful whimper escaping his lips. Why do they do this? Why can’t they just let him die?

 

“Calm down.” Inaho tries to reassure Slaine. “It was just a dream. You are safe now.”

 

Slaine pauses after recognizing that voice. Inaho: his captor, master, and enemy. Why is he here? Still disoriented by the dream, Slaine’s thinking is flawed. _Maybe Inaho has finally come to kill me._ Slaine reasons.

 

Yes; this was the logical explanation. Slaine knew Inaho had finally come to kill him, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He would finally have peace and be able to escape from this world and move on to another. How relieving.

 

Inaho continues, “There is no one here who is going to hurt you.” he tries to remember what Yuki would say to him when he was upset. “Take deep breaths. Ready? Breathe with me. In… one… two… three… and out… one… two… three…” It seems to be working, as Inaho can tell that Slaine’s breathing is beginning to even out.

 

_Why?_ Slaine thinks. _Even in my sleep my masters torment me. I just want to be free from the memories of my past._

 

Slaine completely relaxes his body and allows his eyes to shut, much like on the beach when Inaho pointed a gun at his head. Slaine is expecting Inaho to move his hands to his neck and choke him or to pull out a weapon and kill him.

 

_What is he doing?_ Inaho wonders, confused by Slaine’s sudden change in temperament. However Inaho does not lower his guard, still wary of what Slaine may be planning.

 

“Are you all right?” Inaho asks after Slaine does not attempt anything for a few moments.

 

Slaine looked up at Inaho. It was the emptiness and the hopelessness that made Inaho pause.

 

“Just finish it already…” Slaine whispers, the ghost of a smile hovering on his lips.

 

“I already told you why I won’t do that,” Inaho says. He looks into Slaine’s eyes, hoping to find any flicker of light that would tell him that Slaine wants to live. Not surprisingly, there is none. _I will give you life again Slaine Troyard,_ Inaho resolves.

 

Inaho suddenly becomes aware of the position they are in. Inaho is leaning over Slaine, holding his arms still and using his body weight in an attempt to keep Slaine from hurting himself or Inaho. Inaho’s gaze catches on his hand, specifically on Slaine’s skin underneath his hand. Slaine’s skin is dark brown, a sharp contrast to his otherwise pearly completion.

 

Inaho carefully sits up off of Slaine, moving slowly as to not startle him or throw him into another episode of panic. He also makes sure to get a better look at Slaine’s arm. To his surprise and horror, the dark skin is actually the characters ST-78312-P. Inaho cannot tell how the characters are ingrained in Slaine’s skin; however they do not appear to be a tattoo. Inaho makes a mental note to discover what that number means and how Slaine got them.

 

When Inaho makes no move to kill Slaine but instead moves off of him, Slaine realizes that Inaho did not come to kill him or to inflict any sort of pain. Inaho likely came home and decided to check on Slaine to make sure he had behaved himself while Inaho was away.

 

That or Inaho heard Slaine while he was having that nightmare.

 

Slaine supposes it is the second one. His previous masters often vocally and physically expressed their displeasure at Slaine’s frequent nightmares. Slaine suppresses a sigh of irritation. If he was allowed to just be free from this world no one would ever have to deal with the problems from his nightmares.

 

Trying to break the silence that had fallen over the room, Inaho comments, “If you were wondering, I finished my work early today and that is why I am 17 minutes earlier than what I expected.”

 

_Ah, yes. So typical of Inaho to know exactly how early he was arriving home_ Slaine reflects, remembering that even during the war Inaho possessed an unnatural ability to know the exact value of numbers, relevant or not.

 

Now that Slaine’s fear has subsided Slaine had nothing left except an empty shell. He was swallowed by the vast nothingness of his non-existent emotions.

 

“I can get you a glass of water if you would like, or anything from the kitchen…?” Inaho offers, unsure of how he should make Slaine feel better.

 

Slaine allows his gaze to slip to the side, hoping that Inaho will read between the lines and leave him alone.

 

Receiving no response from Slaine, Inaho stands and heads towards the bedroom door. “I am going to go prepare dinner. It will be likely ready in about 40 minutes, so expect that I will return at around that time.” Inaho closes the door behind him.

 

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

 

In the kitchen, Inaho reflects on what just happened.

 

_When he returned home, he heard Slaine yelling “No!” repeatedly and moaning. Thinking Slaine was in some sort of trouble, Inaho rushed upstairs to find Slaine thrashing on the bed, a look of humiliation and pain on his face; obviously he was having a nightmare._

 

Inaho had been expecting Slaine to have nightmares; however he was not expecting the number on Slaine’s arm. Inaho likes to think of himself as perceptive, so he does not understand how he had previously missed this mark.

 

Inaho doubts that Slaine received this mark voluntarily, but he does not know the exact procedure they used on Slaine. He mentally adds the mark to the list of things he wants to learn about Slaine.

 

Dinner is quiet again, with Slaine barely touching his food and avoiding eye contact with Inaho.

 

Slaine is still too wound up to even begin to think about eating, and his stomach twists at the thought of consuming more food that day. In addition, maybe if he refuses enough food he can become malnourished and weak enough for it to kill him.

 

Slaine soon slips back upstairs to his room and Inaho follows shortly thereafter, each going to their respective bedroom.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Slaine is distrustful of Inaho’s actions, but most of the fear he had been harboring has subsided into wariness. He can’t decide if this is good or bad. On one hand, it means that the built-up tension that he had been carrying for as long as he can remember can have a chance to diffuse. On the other, it means that he is becoming more comfortable in Inaho’s presence, something he is still unsure about. Inaho is like an enigma – Slaine can’t understand exactly what Inaho wants, and this makes him dangerous.

 

Breakfast passes quickly, much to Slaine’s relief, and Inaho leaves Slaine at home without placing any restrictions on Slaine’s collar. Slaine wishes that he could shake the feeling that it is wrong for him not to have any rules to abide by, but it is settled in his bones like it is already an indistinguishable part of himself. He knows that he can’t get rid of this wrongness, and Inaho won’t be able to either. Getting Inaho to realize that is the struggle.

 

Today Slaine does not even bother leaving his bedroom after he finished breakfast. What would be the point? He does not want to know more about Inaho. He does not want to know more about his glorified prison. He deserves nothing more than suffering and death, and even if Inaho refuses to acknowledge it then he will do what Inaho refuses to. He was always good at that – doing what no one else would. Slaine supposes that is part of the reason why he was so feared. But it was also the reason why he was so powerful.

 

The silence Slaine’s bedroom surrounds him entirely. Slaine finds himself wishing that it would swallow him. Then he wouldn’t have to think of a way to beat Inaho at his mind game. Even though he always considered himself rather good at those, he no longer has the motivation to play. He would rather become a part of the wind, a part of the Earth. He would be able to travel wherever the winds carried him, twisting and floating above the flaws of humanity.

 

Then he mentally scolds himself. That is too peaceful and beautiful for someone like him. He stares blankly at the wall. Even moving seems too much effort when there is nothing to live for. Slaine sighs and rolls over. He wishes that he could just fall asleep and never wake up. That would be perfect – no violence, no pain, he would be able to escape without repercussions.

 

Slaine spends the entire day slipping in and out of sleep, some dreamless and others not.

 

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

 

Sitting at his desk, Inaho begins brainstorming ways to help Slaine. He knows that one area in which he is severely lacking in is emotional comfort and support. However, he suspects this is exactly what Slaine needs. Inaho smiles inwardly. Slaine was always the only one who could really meet Inaho on his level, and he seems to once again throw Inaho a challenge that will be difficult to solve.

 

Inaho sneakily peers over at his superiors. They are not paying attention to what he is doing. Good.

 

Inaho has built up a lot of respect, even though he is only working a desk job. Everyone still remembers him as Earth’s hero, the man who stopped Count Slaine Saazbaum Troyard from executing his plans. Everywhere he goes there seems to be at least one person who recognizes him, and that is all it takes. Once one person starts then there seems to be a non-stop line of people who want to personally thank Inaho for his service, or his hard work, or something along those lines. Inaho can’t even count the number of times someone has said, “My family wouldn’t be alive if it were not for you.” Of course there’s not much he can do except accept their gratitude, but he tries to find an opening to escape.

 

Not knowing where else to begin, he searches “How to cure depression” into Google. Opening the first webpage that comes up, he clicks it and searches for relevant information. Inaho may not know exactly what is wrong with Slaine, but he knows that Slaine must harbor at least extreme feelings of guilt and remorse. This may be the first hurdle in overcoming Slaine’s troubles.

 

Number one: Exercise. Well, this may be hard for Slaine considering he is confined to Inaho’s property for now. Maybe Inaho could try to get Slaine to go into the backyard? It may not be the sort of exercise the website is talking about, but it is better than nothing. Spending time in Inaho’s backyard would also fulfill the second requirement on the list: getting more sunshine. How can he make Slaine go outside without forcing him to? Inaho wants to make Slaine happier, not force him to do things he doesn’t want to do.

 

This makes Inaho realize that he knows next to nothing about Slaine as a person. What does he like to do? Does he hate anything? Does he even like to spend time outdoors? Inaho knows that Slaine was born on Earth and spent the first few years of his life there. So does that make it more likely that he’ll like it? It could bring back memories of his father and the good times they had together. On the other hand, Slaine had been fighting against Earth when he was a count. Does this mean that he dislikes Earth, or was he fighting for a more personal reason?

 

Inaho decides to move on, figuring he will learn the answers from Slaine when he gets home.

 

Number three: reduce sources of stress in life. Well, Inaho can only hope that Slaine will become more comfortable living in his house as time goes on and realize that Inaho really does not have evil intentions.

 

Improve your diet, get regular sleep, find support in your social group… the things on this list appear simple enough and Inaho feels that, equipped with this knowledge, he will be more qualified to help Slaine. Inaho quickly cross checks his sources and reads success and failure stories. He knows that healing Slaine will be a long process and that much of it will depend on Slaine, but based on his research there is a 68 percent chance this approach will be successful. He has to admit that they are not the best odds, but it’s better than nothing.

 

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

 

Inaho arrives home to a silent house. Remembering how Slaine reacted to him yesterday, Inaho tries to make a lot of noise in the entryway to alert Slaine gently that he is home.

 

He wanders into the living room, hoping that during the day Slaine had decided to explore or picked up a book. No such luck.

 

Inaho thumps up the stairs, stopping in front of Slaine’s door. The door is only open a crack, and Inaho decides to knock before he attempts to enter. However, this causes the door to swing open a little and, after hearing nothing from inside the room, Inaho peeks his head inside.

 

Slaine is in the bed, his eyes fixed stubbornly on the floor.

 

_Why does Inaho insist on acting so kind?_ Slaine thinks. _I am a mass murderer who was responsible for the deaths of millions, probably people Inaho knew or loved._ Slaine knows Inaho should hate him; want to make him suffer for his sins. But he treats him with more respect than he has gotten from anyone other than his father and Empress Asseylum. It’s ridiculous and humiliating, and it makes him so angry that Slaine wants to scream. Slaine is sick of this and it hasn’t even been a week yet. Inaho’s hospitality is ridiculous. Why did Inaho give Slaine his own room with a nice bed and his own private bathroom? He has too much, so much more than what he deserves.

 

Inaho enters carefully after Slaine does not react. He greets him and takes a seat at the end of the bed, initiating a meaningless talk about the weather. He informs Slaine of the forecast, that it’ll be mostly sunny for the next few days, silently hoping that this will motivate Slaine to venture outside during the following days when he is at work.

 

Slaine can’t judge how Inaho feels about this and he refuses to try. This would mean that he would have to look at Inaho’s face and give him respect he doesn’t deserve, keeping Slaine unfairly tethered to the earth. Slaine doesn’t care for the weather, doesn’t even try to register Inaho’s words. He looks ahead, piercing the floor with his eyes, the icy cold from Inaho’s presence already ingrained in his bones.

 

“Kill me,” Slaine provokes, nothing more and nothing less. This is all he’s been trying to communicate since he first saw Inaho in prison, and, glancing up tentatively, he still only receives that angering emotionless stare.

 

Inaho acts as if he hasn’t understood his words, as if he has no idea of what Slaine is going through. He’s going crazy with remorse, shame, and pain, and this idiot just wants him to keep him here for who knows how long, probably until he tires of him. What does this man want from him? What is it?

 

Slaine can feel tears of frustration welling up behind his eyes. It is one thing to be denied his one wish, but it is another to be ignored by the one who holds Slaine’s life in his hands.

 

Just as Slaine feels as if he is going to explode from frustration and anger, Inaho speaks. “Eighteen months.”

 

Slaine pauses, surprised at Inaho’s answer. “What!” he finally snaps.

 

“Eighteen months. Stay with me for eighteen months and if, by the end of that time you still want to die, I will kill you.”

 

Time freezes for Slaine. Is Inaho serious? No, he can’t be. This is too risky for Inaho. If he fails, then he would have wasted time, money, energy…“What will you be getting out of it?” Slaine finally decides to ask, determined that Inaho is not serious.

 

Inaho pauses. _I will get to learn about who you are because you are incredibly interesting, Slaine Troyard. I want to understand every part of who you are. You are the only thing in the world I can’t seem to understand, so only after I accomplish this will I feel competent. In addition, this deadline will motivate me to work hard for your sake and make sure that you are better._ Inaho wants to tell Slaine everything, but knows that if he were to say this, Slaine may not agree to the deal. No, if Slaine knew he would likely become outraged and refuse to even consider it. Slaine would think that Inaho is using him to satisfy his own personal goals and is not really interested in Slaine.

 

Instead Inaho resolves himself to say, “Asseylum wanted you to be happy and for me to save you. But, I allowed you to convince me that I should leave the prison staff in charge of your imprisonment. I was the one responsible for what happened to you. My leaving led to you becoming a slave.” Not the entire truth, but not a lie either.

 

Slaine scoffs, and then suddenly sits up from the bed. “You act as if this matters, as if you actually care about me and Asseylum.” Slaine leans closer to Inaho, his breath hovering in the air. “I don’t want her kindness. I am accused of trying to kill her, and she obviously does not – she did nothing to help me. I should be dead to account for my sins,” he spits bitterly, eyebrows furrowed, but Inaho can see the sorrow in his eyes. “If she’s fine with me rotting in prison only to be sold as a slave, I doubt she would care if I died.”

 

Inaho makes sure that he keeps a blank face to ensure Slaine doesn’t pick up on how that bothers him as well. Asseylum allowed the true culprits of her assignation attempt to walk free while Slaine took all the blame. She claims that she wants to save him but yet had not been checking to make sure Slaine was making progress; she even allowed him to be sold as a slave. Inaho can’t help but feel disappointment at her actions and how she handled the situation, and he wonders, not for the first time, how qualified Asseylum is to rule.

 

“Would you please join me for a match of chess downstairs?” Inaho asks, hoping that he may be able to at least be able to get Slaine out of bed.

 

Slaine blinks, obviously surprised at Inaho’s answer. “What good would that do?” he grunts. “I would still be here, living a life not worth living and… she would still hate me…” he whispers grudgingly, the sorrow in his eyes deepening.

 

“If you would rather play here I can bring the board up, I just assumed that you would prefer if I spent as little time as possible in your room.”

 

Slaine glares at Inaho then sighs, realizing they will play chess regardless of his answer. Inaho always gets the upper hand. “Fine. I’ll be downstairs in a few minutes,” he mumbles.

 

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

 

“Are you really serious about the deal?” Slaine finally says, only after moving his own piece. “Why would it matter to you if I’m still alive?”

 

This ignites a spark of hope inside Inaho; he hopes that their discussion means Slaine is considering his deal. “Like I’ve said, Asse-”

 

Slaine sighs in annoyance. “Oh come on! You can’t honestly expect me to be so gullible as to just believe you now want to save me after you already gave up! What is the real reason why you proposed this deal?”

 

Inaho doesn’t answer knowing that if he does it will only fuel a pointless and circular argument he does not want to have.

 

Inaho expects Slaine to be angry after being ignored, so he is not surprised when Slaine snaps out, “I see.” There is a noticeable anger surrounding him. “I am not even worthy of a honest answer-”

 

“I also feel it’s my duty,” Inaho explains hastily, “since I’m the reason you’re in this situation.” He leaves out the part about how Asseylum could have done more because, in the end, it was ultimately his responsibility to look after Slaine in prison; a job that he failed miserably at.

 

“You already said that Asseylum is the reason I’m here.” Slaine crosses his arms and shoots Inaho a glare. “If she truly cared about me, she would have stopped this all from happening. She could have faked my death. She could have allowed the truth to come out. What she did… There were more viable solutions.”

 

“You sound angry,” Inaho points out, hoping to make Slaine realize how unreasonable he sounds. “What reasoning did you expect?”

 

Slaine sighs. “Well,” he starts. “I didn’t have anything in mind. I was, however, hoping for something less ridiculous.” Slaine snorts, as if the thought of honesty is ridiculous. “The real truth would be a good place to start.” His face contorts into something unreadable – disgust, or maybe sadness; Inaho can’t tell – and he looks to the board. He is losing, but only because he is not trying to win.

 

“You’ve tried not playing before. You know it’s futile.” Inaho states, as if this will motivate Slaine to put more effort into their game.

 

Slaine scowls. “Isn’t playing pointless as well? You always win.”

 

Moving his rook, Inaho explains, “It’s a sufficient pastime. Better, at least, than no interaction at all.”

 

“Well then I quit,” Slaine says with a smirk and leans away from the board, clearly trying to aggravate Inaho.

 

Inaho tries not to feel frustrated. "You still have about," Inaho pauses, his eyes flitting across the board as he calculates how many more moves Slaine has if he continues to not try to win. Of course, he is finished in a few seconds, barely enough time for Slaine to even notice. "Twelve moves," he concludes. _If you continue not to try to play,_ Inaho thinks. _Maybe more if you put some effort in._

 

_Point proven_ , Slaine thinks. “The outcome is clear,” he says flippantly. “A struggle is pointless when you have already won.”

 

Inaho sees he won’t manage to push Slaine into anything more today, so he stands. “I’m going to start cooking dinner. You are welcome to entertain yourself with anything you find interesting in the meantime.”

 

While in the kitchen, Inaho realizes that Slaine actually seemed happy for a moment. Well, maybe not happy in the sense that he was overflowing with joy, but rather a quieter happy. When Slaine refused to continue to play chess, there was a twinkle in his eyes that Inaho can only categorize as mischievous. Inaho realizes that Slaine is the happiest when he feels like he has the upper hand and is not at someone else’s mercy. He stores that information away for later.

 

In this way they fall into a routine: Inaho returning from work and trying to get Slaine to interact. Success is never guaranteed, however Inaho is satisfied that he can bring joy to Slaine’s eyes, even if for only a moment. Of course he doesn’t always succeed, but Inaho feels satisfied with each progress he makes, no matter how small.


End file.
